The Best Way to Learn Vocabulary in Any Language
People often tell me to learn 10 words a day and nail them down until I can use them. That has never worked for me. I read and listen a lot,...
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Learn Languages with Steve Kaufmann
I speak 20 languages. I've been learning languages for over 50 years and I've tried all kinds of approaches. I talk about my experiences, my approach to language learning, what I enjoy about...
Episodes
20 of 438 episodes
How to Understand Native Speakers in Any Language
When I start a language like Persian or Arabic, at first it's just noise. I can't even tell where one word ends and the next begins. So I li...
I Thought These Languages Would Be Easy. I Was Wrong
Portuguese should be easy for me. I speak Spanish, and the vocabulary, grammar and word order are almost the same. But when I go to speak Po...
How to Choose the Right Content for Language Learning
What makes language learning content easy? It's not about knowing 97% of the words. That's the goal, not where you start. What helps me most...
Should you learn low-frequency words? My approach as a polyglot
Many learners are told to focus on the 1,000 most common words and stop there. I've never done that. In Arabic I now have over 35,000 known...
You don’t need a perfect language learning routine
Some of my best language learning material came from a random book I pulled off my library shelf. A history of Portugal, a book about Prague...
Why You Can Speak a Language But Still Can’t Understand It
Someone told me they can speak their second language but cannot understand what people say back to them. I know this one well, because my wi...
Do This if You Understand But Can't Speak
I meet a lot of people who tell me, almost with pride, that they understand a language well but can't speak it. Usually two things are going...
The best way to read in another language
When I start reading in a new language, I accept that I am not going to understand most of it. My brother compared it to mowing a lawn: if t...
Spain vs Latin America: how different is their Spanish?
Spanish is spoken across three continents, and learners worry constantly about picking the wrong version. But compared to English or Portugu...
Why paper books beat screens for learning (backed by research)
I have somewhere between 60 and 70 shelves of books in this house, well over a thousand of them, in several languages, and I have finally st...
Why your reasons NOT to learn a language are just EXCUSES
I was with some Canadians recently who all agreed that French would help them professionally. Within a few minutes I had heard three reasons...
Why reading in some languages is harder than in others
Reading is a huge part of how I learn languages, but it is not equally easy in every language. In Spanish or Turkish I can sound out almost...
9 habits that are KILLING your progress in a new language
Friction is what reduces our enjoyment of language learning, so in this video I go through the nine forms it takes and what I do about each...
How I learn grammar without studying grammar rules
Should you focus on words or grammar? Here's how I approach grammar as an input-based learner, and why most corrections never stick.
How I'm getting my Portuguese ready for Portugal
In this video I'll you how I'm getting ready for my trip to Portugal by using point-of-view stories, circling questions, and AI to create cu...
Stop forcing yourself to remember vocabulary. Do this instead
Today I want to talk about the fifth language skill — the one nobody teaches alongside reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and the on...
The sweet spot that makes you enjoy learning (and how to find it)
Today I want to talk about the state of flow — that feeling of being completely absorbed in what you're doing — and how you can use it to be...
Why I DON’T use spaced repetition to learn vocabulary
Vocabulary is the clearest measure of your level in any language, so here is how I acquire and review words, and why I skip most of the popu...
Languages or Sudoku? The better choice for a healthy brain
At 80, I'm still learning languages every day, and I'm convinced it does more for your brain than any Sudoku puzzle ever could.